UCLA v. Memphis: Three things to watch for
By Kevin Bowman
Sept. 2, 2014 12:00 a.m.
1) UCLA offensive line vs. Memphis pass rush
It’s no secret that UCLA’s offensive line had a rough outing against Virginia on Saturday, surrendering five sacks and allowing many other rushers to collapse the pocket on redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley. If redshirt junior center Jake Brendel is healthy enough to play against Memphis, that could help matters, but the unit needs some work in practice this week.
The O-line certainly won’t get a week off against Memphis, as the Tigers return their top four defensive linemen from last season, including redshirt senior defensive end Martin Ifedi, who led the team last season with 11.5 sacks – the second most in school history. Keeping Hundley on his feet and giving him time to make plays will be critical for UCLA’s offensive line.
2) Memphis running game vs. UCLA front seven
The Tigers are a run-first offense. They showed that last year with their run-to-pass play ratio, which was nearly 4-to-3. They hammered the point home Saturday in their 63-0 win over Austin Peay. Memphis ran the ball 55 times for 303 yards and seven touchdowns. Five different players ran for scores and six different players carried the ball at least five times. Granted, it’s hard to take anything without a grain of salt from a giant blowout win over an FCS team that was winless last season, but it still seems clear that the Tigers are most comfortable doing their work on the ground.
Leading the charge is redshirt senior running back Brandon Hayes who, in his sixth year of eligibility, clearly has experience in his favor. However, it was not Hayes, but freshman running back Jarvis Cooper who led Memphis with 101 yards against Austin Peay – on just eight carries. While Hayes, at 5 feet 8 inches and 198 pounds, is the Tigers’ scat-back, Cooper offers a different look with a much bigger body, standing 6-1 and 250 pounds.
Fortunately for the Bruins, they are perfectly suited to slow down a strong running attack with their dominant front seven. Sophomore nose tackle Kenny Clark can consistently close up running holes and blow up play up the middle; Clark finished with eight tackles against Virginia. Meanwhile, UCLA’s linebacker corps looked like it hasn’t lost a step from last season. Redshirt senior linebacker Eric Kendricks had 16 tackles against Virginia while sophomore Myles Jack tallied 13 of his own. With their speed and strength, slowing down Memphis’ running backs – big or small – shouldn’t be too major of a challenge.
3) Brett Hundley vs. Memphis defense
Hundley clearly didn’t live up to his Heisman hype in Week 1. Some of that falls on him, but it’s not entirely his fault. He wasn’t given much time to make decisions or even throw the ball, and when he did, his receivers had several drops. For UCLA’s offense to click, Hundley will need to step his game up regardless of the pressure he’s faced with.
But doing that against Memphis is no simple task. Despite finishing 3-9 last season, the Tigers actually ended up with the nation’s No. 16 defense in terms of total yards allowed. Of their 9 losses last season, seven of them were by 14 points or fewer, including three against teams with 10 wins or more: Duke, Louisville and Central Florida.
The Tigers’ defense this year returns nine starters, looking solid at all position groups – except one. The safeties look to be a major question mark for the Tigers, as two new players slide into starting positions there. If they struggle to adjust to the starting roles, Hundley and the Bruins could be in for some big plays over the top.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
